Ravens to Host Pitch Competition for Startups at Light City 2017

With the second rendition of Light City fast approaching, the Baltimore Ravens have decided they want to go all in on their sponsorship of the event by helping out one lucky business from the Baltimore area.

The light art festival’s organizers have added a pitch competition, officially dubbed the “Baltimore Ravens Innovation Challenge,” to their [email protected] innovation conferences portion. Local businesses from Baltimore City and County will get to pitch their plans on April 6 to a live audience and panel of judges with investors, Ravens personnel and members of the city’s startup community.

The winner’s spoils include a yearlong advertising and marketing package with the Ravens. Specifically, it includes LED signage at M&T Bank Stadium, ad space on the team’s website, print ads in franchise publications and additional exposure at training camp in Owings Mills, the RavensWalk tailgate area and the Ravens Flock Festival on April 30.

Jamie McDonald, board chair for Light City and the founder of Generosity, Inc., said the partnership builds on the Ravens’ sponsorship of the inaugural festival last year and the new innovation conferences planned for this year.

“We were lucky enough to have the Ravens as a partner in Light City last year,” McDonald said. “The idea was that the visibility they could offer would be of huge value to a small local company. We thought that was an amazing opportunity and jumped at the chance to tie the initiatives together.”

Light City is taking applications at this link through Monday, March 6. In addition to needing a base in the city or county limits, an applicant business must have revenue of under $5 million and “demonstrate a unique approach to its market, product or service,” according to a release. They also can’t be a beer or financial services company, as the Ravens already have those locked down for sponsorship deals.

McDonald said the competition is “wide open,” but that the best-suited applicants will be those that can benefit from boosted “consumer-focused local visibility.”

“If you’ve got a super-crazy cyber-technology, this may not be a fit for you. If you’re a company that sells to consumers or small businesses, the visibility in this is something you can’t put a price on,” she said.

If you know a business with a solid-enough vision to impress the Ravens and a slate of Baltimore’s investors and top entrepreneurs, refer them to the application here.

Ethan has been editing and reporting for Baltimore Fishbowl since fall of 2016. His previous stops include Fox 45, CQ Researcher and Connection Newspapers in Northern Virginia. His freelance writing has been featured in Baltimore City Paper, Leafly, DCist and BmoreArt, among other outlets. He enjoys basketball, humid Mid-Atlantic summers and story tips.